


Thanks, Natasha

by can_i_slytherin



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Character, M/M, Minor Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Nightmares, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-16 13:55:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20832299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/can_i_slytherin/pseuds/can_i_slytherin
Summary: Wanda has a nightmare, Natasha is there to help.





	Thanks, Natasha

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Flickering_Candle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flickering_Candle/gifts).

* * *

Wanda had had trouble with fitting in with the Avengers after Pietro’s death. The events of Age of Ultron had left her with nightmares that had her waking up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat. Most of the time, she was able to deal with them herself, but one night she had a particularly bad one that had sent her powers on a free-for-all. It had been a while since she had lost control; she always kept her powers under tight grip through fear of hurting someone, but something in her dream had sent her into a spiral. 

She screamed, the sound raw and painful, and thrashed blindly, trying to escape her sheets. A wave of red light shot across the room, contacting with the shelving unit beside her door and sending her books and other memorabilia crashing to the floor. She dug her hands into her hair, pulling harshly at the red-brown strands, and tried to focus on her breathing but found herself unable to slow it down. 

Somewhere in the distance, she heard a voice calling to her, and she tried to follow it, clawing her way out from the blanket of panic that had settled over her brain. There was a hand at her arm and she turned, staring unseeing at the figure beside her. Her anxiety-addled mind registered short red hair and supplied a name.

“Natasha.” She gasped, reaching out to grasp onto the other woman. Her hand found Natasha’s thigh and she gripped onto it, trying to focus on the feel of her oversized t-shirt under her fingers. Natasha’s fingers curled around Wanda’s and she squeezed it reassuringly, moving her hand away from her thigh to intertwine their fingers. 

“I’m here.” Natasha whisper, her voice a soothing noise that Wanda was able to hone in on, “I’m right here. Come back to me. Come back, Red.” 

“I can’t.” 

Natasha grip on her hand became tighter and her tone more authoritative, “You _ can _ ,” She insisted, “and you will. You can do this. I know that you can. Just breathe for me.” 

“I _ can’t. _ ” 

“You can, _ Kroshka, _I believe in you. Breathe with me. In for seven seconds, hold for four, and out for eleven seconds.” Natasha took a deep breath in, motioning for Wanda to repeat the action, and smiled gently when the Scarlet Witch took a shaky breath in. 

It took a few moments for Wanda regain control over her breathing and start to talk again, “Natasha?” 

“Yes, _ Dorogaya _?” Natasha whispered, her voice carrying further in the near-silent room. 

“Don’t leave me.” Wanda whimpered, tightening her grip on Natasha’s hand. The change in pressure was small and barely there, but Natasha training had made it so that the slightest of shifts were noticeable to her. 

She turned to face Wanda, a gentle smile on her lips, and pulled the younger woman backwards onto the bed. Wanda curled up against the pillows, shivering from the cold and from residual adrenaline. Natasha smiled and tugged her- well, Steve’s- too-large t-shirt over her head before throwing it at Wanda. The witch caught it and smiled, pulling on the t-shirt. A gentle laugh was shared between the two of them when they noticed that the shirt completely _ swamped _her. 

Natasha settled against the pillows, moving to pull the covers over them, but Wanda stopped her with a hand on her wrist. The witch’s gaze fell to Natasha body, motioning to her exposed skin, and frowned. 

“Are you not cold?” Wanda whispered.

Natasha stared down at her apparel- a sports bra and lady boxers (Tony’s words, not her’s)- and shook her head, ”Nope!” She replied, popping the ‘p’, “This is how I normally sleep, but I highly doubt that you wanted a half-naked woman busting into your room.” 

Wanda smiled, “I do not mind.” 

Natasha shook her head fondly, “Of course,” she stroked a hand through Wanda’s hair, tucking a piece of hair behind Wanda’s ear, “go to sleep, _ Kroshka, _I’ll be here when you wake.” 

***~*~*~*~ **

When Wanda woke up in the morning, Natasha, as promised, was laying in the bed next to her. She turned onto her side, to stare fondly at the redhead, and smiled, gently running a finger across her cheek. Natasha mumbled something in her sleep and leant into the touch. 

“Natasha?” Wanda whispered gently, “Wake up.” 

Natasha’s eyes shot open and she sprang into a seated position, pulling a knife from under the pillow, “Everything okay?” 

Wanda didn’t have the heart to ask where the knife had come from, Natasha, after all, was an assassin and she had her ways of smuggling objects into places. She reached out, pressing a hand into the small of Natasha’s back, and rubbed gentle soothing circles into the skin with her thumb. 

“We’re okay, Natasha.” She whispered, grinning as Natasha relaxed and hid the knife in the waistband of her underwear. 

Natasha turned, an affectionate look in her eyes, and smiled, “You ready to head out?” 

Wanda nodded and stood up, the Steve-Natasha t-shirt pooling around her knee-caps like a dress. She reached out a hand to her, grinning wider when Natasha intertwined their fingers, and led the redhead out of the room. They wandered into the kitchen, hand-in-hand, and the Avengers team- Steve, Bucky, Sam, Clint and Bruce- looked up from their respective meals as they entered. 

Steve narrowed his eyes accusingly at Wanda’s t-shirt and turned his playful glare on Natasha, “I recognise that shirt.” 

“You ought to,” Bucky responded from his place in Steve’s lap, “it’s yours.” 

Steve swatted his thigh, “I _ know _ that. But, how did _ Wanda _get it?” 

Bucky rolled his eyes and reached back to tap Steve’s cheek, “You’re lucky that you’re pretty.” 

“I hate you, Jerk.” Steve grumbled but the teasing lilt gave him away. 

“Love you too, Punk.” Bucky smiled, “And,” he added, “Wanda has it because I had it. I stole it from you when you went away on a mission. Then, Natasha stole it from me when me and her went on a mission and, naturally, she’s given it to Wanda.” 

“It’s like a family t-shirt.” Natasha added, “Just gets passed around the family until it eventually returns to you.” 

Steve nodded thoughtfully and grinned widely, “Sharing is caring, I guess.” 

“That is exactly right, Grandpa.” Wanda whispered, a bright smile on her lips. 

Steve rolled his eyes affectionately, “Yeah, okay, I get it.” 

Bucky looked thoughtful before he spoke up, “Does that make me Grandma?” 

Natasha laughed and nodded in confirmation, “Grandma and Grandpa Barnes.”

Bucky and Steve shared a look, seemingly communicating telepathically, and nodded sharply, “We’re okay with that.” 

“So,” Sam, after a few minutes of amusedly watching their interaction, spoke up, “you and Wanda, eh?” 

Wanda blushed the same colour as Natasha’s hair and Natasha flipped the Falcon off playfully, “It’s not anything, birdman.” 

Sam laughed and shook his head, holding his hands up in mock-defense, “Okay, calm it spidergirl.” 

Wanda had a far-away look in her eyes and she broke out of it, snapping her head towards Natasha with a determined smile, “I want it to be.” 

“What now?” Natasha replied, a delicate eyebrow raised in confusion. 

“Us.” Wanda gestured to their conjoined hands, “I want it to be something.” 

The air left Natasha’s lungs in one swift motion and she stared at Wanda, “Yeah, that’d be nice.” She whispered breathlessly. 

Wanda surged forward, capturing Natasha’s lips in her own, and snaked a hand around her waist to pull the assassin closer. Natasha groaned and kissed back, her lips moving against Wanda’s with carefully practiced precision. 

Someone whooped, Natasha reckoned that it was Bucky, and there was a round of applause. Natasha pulled away and grinned down at Wanda, turning to face their dysfunctional family with a challenging look in her eyes. 

“Congratulations, guys. Another couple together!” Sam whispered, “Looks like Brucey and I are the only single ones here.” 

“Maybe we should get together.” Bruce joked. 

Sam laughed and shook his head, “In your dreams, Professor.” 

Natasha and Wanda laughed, happy that their family had accepted them, and sat down at the table, opposite Bucky and Steve. The two men smiled at them, giving them a congratulatory thumbs up, before Bucky made a rude gesture at the duo. Steve laughed and swatted at Bucky’s thigh again, shaking his head fondly. 

The female duo smiled again- their emotions and feelings running high- and noticed that, even though something had changed, their crazy family had not changed in anyway. They were oddly dysfunctional and argued a lot, but they loved each other. And now, Wanda felt a part of that too and it was all thanks to Natasha Romanoff


End file.
